The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Daniel Bwala, has criticised Cardinal John Onaiyekan over his comments on the economy and insecurity, saying the cleric spoke for Catholics rather than Christians as a whole.
Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, had disclosed that President Tinubu rejected the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s assessment of the country’s economic situation and insecurity during a meeting at the State House, Abuja, on July 28, 2026.
He made the disclosure during an interview on Arise News’ Prime Time programme on Friday.
Reacting in a post on X on Saturday, Bwala claimed that Onaiyekan’s position was consistent with the interests of institutions he alleged were backing the Labour Party’s 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He also linked Obi’s 2022 “take back your country” remark to Catholic circles.
“Cardinal Onaiyekan wasn’t speaking for Christians, he was speaking for Catholics, the very institutions rooting for Peter Obi, in fact, likely the institution where Peter Obi also said in 2022 ‘take back your country.
“Therefore, Cardinal is more political than spiritual. And not all Catholic members are supporting Peter Obi,” Bwala wrote.
The presidential aide argued that Tinubu had the right to reject the bishops’ assessment of the economy.
“The President was well within his right to disagree with their assertion as regards Nigeria’s economy based purely on facts, statistics and numbers put into context,” he said.
Bwala further accused Onaiyekan of inconsistency, alleging that priests who criticised the government’s economic position would not tolerate their members making similar complaints.
“Ironically, the same priest would rebuke their members if the members said ‘we are suffering or we are poor.’ They would tell them to rather say ‘we are doing great and or we are rich’ even when they are suffering or poor,” he said.
He also maintained that there was already a broader Christian body that included Catholics and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, arguing that its position should remain neutral.
“There is a body comprising all Christians, including the Catholics and Catholic Bishops Conference, and that body’s position is neutral and should be so, otherwise it is political,” Bwala said.
During the Arise News interview, Onaiyekan said Tinubu had plainly told the bishops that he disagreed with their assessment of the economy.
According to the cleric, the President maintained that the economy was performing well, despite the bishops’ position that Nigerians were experiencing hardship.
Onaiyekan insisted that the bishops had no political ambition and said their intervention was based on their responsibility to speak on issues affecting the welfare of Nigerians.
He also defended the bishops’ warning against what they described as the emergence of a one-party dominant state.
The former Catholic Archbishop further called for reforms to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, saying doubts about the commission’s neutrality would persist as long as its leadership was appointed by the President.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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